Computer-based systems for protecting shipping information

ABSTRACT

This disclosure describes computer-based techniques for controlling access to shipping information for packages by providing limited shipping information to a courier to advance the package to a next node along a transit route. An administrator computer generates a set of components for a transit state of and information about the package. The set of components represents constituent “tokenized” portions of a delivery address, such as a sender or recipient name, street number, street name, city, or zip code. The transit states of the package represent various transit functions of the courier, such as pick-up, correct handling, sorting, delivery, return, and exception. The administrator computer generates sets of components that enable the courier to advance the package to a next node, but that exclude shipping information that may not be useful for advancing the package. The administrator computer sends the set of components to the courier based on the current transit state of the package.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to computer-based systems configured to controlshipping information for packages.

BACKGROUND

When a package is shipped via a carrier, shipping information regardingthe sender and recipient of the package is included on the shippinglabel of the package. This shipping information may explicitly provideinformation as to the sender and recipient of the package, such as byassociating a recipient's name with the recipient's address, as well asimplicitly provide information as to the contents of the package, suchas from the context of the sender's name. A person gaining access to thepackage may freely view this information from the shipping label. Eitherof the recipient or sender may wish for this information to remainprivate, such as for privacy reasons or package security reasons. Whileencoding this information, such as through a bar code, may limit theinformation a person intercepting the package may view, it may not limitthe information decoded. For example, a person that is able to decodethe information may still have access to all the information containedon the shipping label.

SUMMARY

In general, this disclosure describes computer-based techniques forprotecting shipping information for a package. More specifically, thecomputer-based techniques include controlling access to shippinginformation for shipped packages by providing limited shippinginformation to a courier of the package to advance the package to a nextnode along a transit route to a destination. In order to protect theshipping information, the disclosed techniques enable a componentgeneration unit running on an administrator computer to generate a setof components for a transit state of the package. The set of componentsmay represent constituent “tokenized” portions of a delivery address,such as a sender or recipient name, street number, street name, city,zip code, province, county, province, country, or descriptive text. Asupplementary piece of “tokenized” information may describe the itembeing delivered. There may be more than one piece of supplementaryinformation—for example the class of the item may require differenthandling (valuable, hazardous, delicate, perishable (may includeexpiration date, or temperature requirements), etc.). Another piece ofinformation may be very specific, and may be helpful in remediation ofproblems relating to mis-delivered items or other exceptions. Thetransit states of the package may represent various transit functions ofthe courier, such as pick-up, origin sorting, destination sorting,delivery, return, and exception. The component generation unit maygenerate sets of components that enable the courier to advance thepackage to a next node of the transit route, but that exclude shippinginformation that may not be necessary or useful for advancing thepackage. The disclosed techniques may further enable a componentadministration unit on the administrator computer to send the set ofcomponents to the courier based on the current transit state of thepackage. In this way, the techniques discussed herein may enable theadministrator computer to control shipping information for a package sothat address information may be accessed only when needed for aparticular segment or state of the transit route.

In one example, this disclosure is directed to a method by one or moreprocessors of a computing device, including receiving, by the computingdevice, a first request for destination information for a package. Thefirst request includes a package identifier (ID) of the package. Themethod further includes determining, by the computing device, a firstset of components of a delivery address of the package based on thepackage ID and a first transit state of the package. The first transitstate is associated with a first node in a transit route of the package.The method further includes sending, by the computing device, the firstset of components of the delivery address. The method further includesreceiving, by the computing device, a second request for destinationinformation for the package. The second request includes the package ID.The method further includes determining, by the computing device, asecond set of components of the delivery address of the package based onthe package ID and a second transit state of the package. The secondtransit state is associated with a second node in the transit route ofthe package. The second set of components is different from the firstset of components. The method further includes sending, by the computingdevice, the second set of components of the delivery address.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a computing devicecomprising a memory and one or more processors in communication with thememory. The one or more processors are configured to receive a firstrequest for destination information for a package. The first requestincludes a package identifier (ID) of the package. The one or moreprocessors are further configured to determine a first set of componentsof a delivery address of the package based on the package ID and a firsttransit state of the package. The first transit state is associated witha first node in a transit route of the package. The one or moreprocessors are further configured to send the first set of components ofthe delivery address. The one or more processors are further configuredto receive a second request for destination information for the package.The second request includes the package ID. The one or more processorsare further configured to determine a second set of components of thedelivery address of the package based on the package ID and a secondtransit state of the package. The second transit state is associatedwith a second node in the transit route of the package. The second setof components is different from the first set of components. The one ormore processors are further configured to send the second set ofcomponents of the delivery address.

In a further example, this disclosure is directed to a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructionsthat, when executed, cause one or more processors to receive a firstrequest for destination information for a package. The first requestincludes a package identifier (ID) of the package. The instructionsfurther cause the one or more processors to determine a first set ofcomponents of a delivery address of the package based on the package IDand a first transit state of the package. The first transit state isassociated with a first node in a transit route of the package. Theinstructions further cause the one or more processors to send the firstset of components of the delivery address. The instructions furthercause the one or more processors to receive a second request fordestination information for the package. The second request includes thepackage ID. The instructions further cause the one or more processors todetermine a second set of components of the delivery address of thepackage based on the package ID and a second transit state of thepackage. The second transit state is associated with a second node inthe transit route of the package. The second set of components isdifferent from the first set of components. The instructions furthercause the one or more processors to send the second set of components ofthe delivery address.

The details of one or more examples of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example system that includesan administrator computer configured to control access to shippinginformation for a package, in accordance with the techniques of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example administrator computerof FIG. 1 in further detail.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of anadministrator computer and a remote user computer of FIG. 1, inaccordance with the techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of anadministrator computer and a remote courier computer of FIG. 1, inaccordance with the techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example transit route of apackage, in accordance with techniques of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example system 100 forcontrolling access to shipping information for a package, in accordancewith the techniques of this disclosure. In the example of FIG. 1, system100 includes an administrator 116, a courier 124, a sender 128A, and arecipient 128B. However, in other examples, any of administrator 116,courier 124, sender 128A, and recipient 128B may be a same entity.

Courier 124 may be any entity that receives destination information fora package and handles delivery of the package based on the destinationinformation. In some examples, a courier may be referred to as acarrier, shipping company, transport company, delivery company, or thelike. A courier may handle package deliver within a local region,national region, or multi-national/international region. As used herein,the term courier may denote a single, standalone company or arelationship between multiple companies used to transport a packetbetween remote sources and destinations.

A package may include any object that is marked, tagged, or otherwiseidentified by a package identifier (ID) for shipping by a courierservice. As an example of operation of courier 124, courier 124 may shipa package along a transit route, such as illustrated and explained inFIG. 5. This transit route may include various transit states associatedwith shipping functions. For example, throughout its transit route, apackage may be received, picked up, sorted, carried, delivered,returned, and/or lost. Each of these actions may take place at aplurality of locations, or nodes, along the transit route. For example,the package may be received at a retail facility, sorted at a regionalsorting facility near an origin of the package, sorted at a regionalsorting facility near a destination of the package, and delivered at adelivery address. While the plurality of nodes may be part of a largerdistributed network, a linear arrangement of the plurality of nodes mayform the transit route. As such, destination information may representany information that is used by courier 124 to advance the package tothe next node in the linear arrangement. Courier 124 may include avariety of entities including, but not limited to, carrier, shippingcompany, transport company, delivery company, postal services, and anyother service that carries a package for at least a portion of thetransit route.

Sender 128A may be any entity that sends a package using courier 124,while recipient 128B may be any entity that receives a package usingcourier 124. Sender 128A and/or recipient 128B (collectively referred toas “users 128”) may include, but are not limited to, merchants,agencies, customers, or any other entity that may send or receive apackage using courier 124. In the example of FIG. 1, each of sender 128Aand recipient 128B may include a remote sender computer 126A or remoterecipient computer 126B, respectively, configured to send, process,and/or transmit data. For example, one or both of users 128 may send adelivery address of either sender 128A or recipient 128B toadministrator 116. Sender 128A may include a printer 130 coupled toremote sender computer 126A and configured to print shipping labelinformation from administrator 116 for coupling to the package.

Administrator 116 may be any entity that controls address data of sender128A and/or recipient 128B for shipping and/or delivering a package. Forexample, sender 128A or recipient 128B may entrust administrator 116with a delivery address of either or both of sender 128A and/orrecipient 128B. While users 128 may be comfortable with administrator116 having access to this address data, at least one of users 128 maywish to restrict access to this address data for other entities. Forexample, recipient 128B may be a customer that wishes for sender 128A,an auction seller, to have no access to this address data and forcourier 124, a delivery service, to have limited access to this addressdata, such as on a need-to-know basis. In these instances, administrator116 may control access to the address data for courier 124 and,optionally, users 128. Administrator 116 may include a variety ofentities including, but not limited to, financial institutions,merchants, couriers, or the like.

Courier 124 includes remote courier computer 120 in communication withscanner 122 and courier network 118. Although FIG. 1 only illustratesone scanner 122 and one remote courier computer 120, in other examples,system 100 may include more than one of any of scanner 122 and remotecourier computer 120. Courier network 118 may comprise a private networkincluding, for example, a private network associated with anorganization, or may comprise a public network, such as the Internet.

Scanner 122 may include any device configured to scan a packageidentifier (ID) on a package and transmit information from the packageID to remote courier computer 120. For example, the package may includea label, tag, RFID, manually written or drawn information, or otheridentifier that is configured to convey a package ID associated with thepackage. Scanner 122 may include, but is not limited to, bar codescanners, cameras, or any other device capable of receiving informationfrom a shipping label, tag, or other identifier. In some examples,scanners 122 may be supplemented or augmented by manual input ofinformation to the information capturing system, such as by a personwith access to the information.

Remote courier computer 120 is configured to receive, process, and/ortransmit data, such as shipping or package (i.e. label or tag) data toand from scanner 122 and courier network 118. Remote courier computer120 may be configured to generate, in response to receiving the packageID of the package, a request for destination information for the packageand send the request for destination information to administratorcomputer 108 of administrator 116. The request may include the packageidentifier (ID) of the package obtained from scanner 122. Remote couriercomputer 120 may be configured to receive, in response to sending therequest and from administrator computer 108, destination information forthe package.

In some examples, the request for destination information may includelocation information of scanner 122. For example, a location of scanner122 may indicate a location at which the package was scanned, and thusthe location of the package, such as a particular node of the pluralityof nodes at which the package is located. Location information mayinclude any indicator of a location of scanner 122 including, but notlimited to, GPS data, network data, identification data, and the like.

In some examples, the request for destination information includes ascanner identifier (ID) of scanner 122. The scanner ID may be anidentifier associated with location or verification information ofscanner 122, such that the scanner ID for scanner 122 may be used aslocation information or verification information for responding to therequest for destination information. For example, the scanner ID may beassociated with a location, such as a particular node, such that thescanner ID may be mapped to the location of scanner 122 as locationinformation. As another example, the scanner ID may be associated withscanner 122 and/or remote courier computer 120, such that the scanner IDmay provide verification of the request.

Administrator 116 includes administrator computer 108 and database 102in communication with each other via administrator network 114. Database102 may include package identifier (ID) profiles 104 containing addressdata 106 for each package ID. Administrator computer 108 is configuredto control access to address data 106 for a package. Administratorcomputer 108 may include component generation unit 110 and componentadministration unit 112. Although FIG. 1 only illustrates one database102 and one administrator computer 108, in other examples, system 100may include more than one of any of database 102 and administratorcomputer 108.

Administrator network 114 may comprise a private network including, forexample, a private network associated with an organization, or maycomprise a public network, such as the Internet. Although illustrated inFIG. 1 as a single entity, in other examples administrator network 114may comprise a combination of public and/or private networks. In someexamples, remote sender computer 126A of sender 128A may be coupled toadministrator network 114, such that sender 128A may user printer 130 toprint shipping label information directly from administrator 116. Forexample, in examples where administrator 116 is a financial institution,remote sender computer 126A may be an automated teller machine (ATM) orother remote and secured computer terminal configured with printer 130to print shipping labels.

Database 102 may be a data structure for storing data related to thesystem 100 including package ID profiles 104. Although illustrated inFIG. 1 as being included within administrator 116, database 102 may bestored by any suitable party and in any suitable location according toparticular needs. For example, database 102 may be stored and maintainedby an organization associated with system 100 or by a third-party vendorthat stores and maintains data. Although illustrated as a singledatabase 102, any suitable number of databases may be used for storingthe data described according to particular needs. Although shown asbeing separate from administrator computer 108, in certain examples,database 102 may be stored and executed within administrator computer108.

Each of package ID profiles 104 stored in database 102 may be associatedwith a package ID of a package. As discussed above, the package ID actsas an identifier of the package, such that data associated with thepackage may be mapped to one of package ID profiles 104 associated withthe package ID. Each of package ID profiles 104 may contain address data106 for the package associated with the corresponding package ID.

Address data 106 may include any shipping information for a package.Shipping information may include a source address, a delivery address,or one or more intermediate addresses along the transit route betweenthe source address and the delivery address. In some examples, addressdata 106 includes address data sent to administrator computer 108 byusers 128. For example, address data 106 may include a delivery and/orreturn address of any of users 128. In some examples, address data 106includes address data for any of the plurality of nodes. For example,address data 106 may include a delivery address of one or more nodesalong the transit route.

Address data 106 may be constituted by various components. Thesecomponents may direct an entity delivering the package on where todeliver the package, who to deliver the package to, and/or how to notifyrecipient 128B and/or sender 128A of the package, such as regardingpick-up, delivery, or occurrence of an exception. For example,components of the address may include information having a differentlevel of localization in a hierarchy (e.g., a city vs. a street withinthe city) or information having a different function for delivery of thepackage (e.g., a house number vs. a recipient name). Components ofaddress data 106 may include, but are not limited to, a zip code, astate/province, a county, a city, a street address, a house number, anapartment number, a first name, a last name, a phone number, an emailaddress, twitter handle, or other electronic communications identifier,or any other identifier. For example, contact information may be used tonotify senders or recipients that the delivery is complete, to requestinstructions (such as handling clarifications “e.g. what is thetemperature variance tolerance?”, or remediation instructions if thedelivery is mis-handled—e.g. out-of-spec temperature, or lost), or toperform other notification or inquiry functions.

Administrator computer 108 may be associated with administrator 116. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, in some examples, administrator computer 108 maybe a centralized computing device configured to execute componentgeneration unit 110 and/or component administration unit 112 forcontrolling access to shipping information for a package. Administratorcomputer 108 may comprise a cluster of one or more computers,workstations, servers, and the like. Administrator computer 108configured to execute component generation unit 110 and/or componentadministration unit 112 may be physically or virtually included withinan internal network of an organization. Alternatively, administratorcomputer 108 configured to execute component generation unit 110 and/orcomponent administration unit 112 may be physically or virtuallyincluded in a network hosted by a third-party vendor. For example, avendor of an organization may store and maintain component generationunit 110 and/or component administration unit 112 for an organizationand/or may provide the functions of component generation unit 110 and/orcomponent administration unit 112 as a service to the intermediaryinstitution. In some examples, administrator computer 108 may be acomputing device further from a centralized node of a network.

Component generation unit 110 may be configured to receive a deliveryaddress for a package. In some examples, component generation unit 110may receive the delivery address as part of a shipping request for apackage. For example, component generation unit 110 may receive adelivery address from sender 128A and/or recipient 128B as part of ashipping request from sender 128A to recipient 128B. In some examples,component generation unit 110 may receive the delivery address fromwithin administrator 116, such as from a database. For example,component generation unit 110 may receive the delivery address as partof an account set-up for recipient 128B, store the delivery addressassociated with recipient 128B, and recall the delivery addressassociated with recipient 128B upon a shipping request from sender 128A.

Component generation unit 110 may be configured to generate a pluralityof sets of components of the delivery address from components of thedelivery address. Each set of components of the plurality of sets ofcomponents may be associated with a transit state of a plurality oftransit states for the transit route. As discussed above, the deliveryaddress may be tokenized into a plurality of components. For aparticular transit state, not all the components of the delivery addressmay be useful for advancing the package to a next node in the transitroute. For example, a zip code may be useful for sorting the package atthe origin, but a street address may not be useful. Further, differentcomponents may be useful for different transit states. For example, astreet name and a zip code may be useful for selecting a delivery truckon which to place the package, while a residence unit number and firstname may be useful to drop off a package. Rather than provide the entireaddress, which may include extraneous information that a sender 128Aand/or recipient 128B does not wish to be accessed at all times,component generation unit 110 may select only those components that maybe useful for advancing the package to the next node of the transitroute. The set of components of the delivery address may include one ormore of a zip code, a state, a city, a street address, a house number,an apartment number, a first name, a last name, a phone number, or anemail address, twitter handle, or other electronic communicationsidentifier.

Component generation unit 110 may be configured to store the pluralityof sets of components of the delivery address in database 102. Forexample, component generation unit 110 may store the components of thedelivery address associated with recipient 128B to address data 106 in apackage ID profile 104 associated with a package ID of the package.Address data 106 may map the set of components to a transit state of thepackage, such that each transit state may be associated with aparticular set of components.

Component administration unit 112 may control access to address data 106associated with a package once the package is in transit. Componentadministration unit 112 may be configured to receive a request fordestination information for a package. As explained above, the requestfor destination information includes a package ID of the package. Forexample, at one or more nodes of the transit route, courier 124, such asa sorter, driver, or other employee of courier 124, may send the requestfor destination information for the package, such as from remote couriercomputer 120, to administrator computer 108.

Component administration unit 112 may be configured to determine a setof components of the delivery address of the package based on thepackage ID and the transit state of the package. For a particularpackage associated with a package ID, component administration unit 112may determine a different set of components based on the particulartransit state of the package, such as by using the package ID andtransit state to look up the set of components in address data 106 indatabase 102. For example, component administration unit 112 may beconfigured to determine a first set of components based on a firsttransit state and a second set of components based on a second transitstate.

Component administration unit 112 may be configured to send the set ofcomponents of the delivery address to courier 124, such as to remotecourier computer 120 through courier network 118. For example, remotecourier computer 120 may receive the set of components and display theset of components on a display device. An operator of the displaydevice, such as a sorter or driver, may handle the package based on thedisplayed set of components.

The systems discussed herein, such as system 100 of FIG. 1, may protectaccess to shipping information for a package. For example, a user thatdoes not use an administrator to control access to shipping informationmay have personal information exposed to a large number of people and/orrecording devices. In contrast, the systems described herein may protectaccess to shipping information by selecting components of a deliveryaddress to send to a courier. For example, computer-based systemsdescribed herein may send a courier only enough information foradvancing the package to a next node along the transit route, whilerestricting access to extraneous information. In this way, access toshipping information may be restricted for employees having particularjob functions at particular locations along the transit route.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example administrator computerof FIG. 1 in further detail. Administrator computer 108 may includeinterfaces 202, processors 204, memory 206, displays 208, and acommunication bus 222.

Administrator computer 108 may include one or more interfaces 202 forallowing component generation unit 110 and component administration unit112 to communicate with one or more databases (e.g., database 102),servers, devices and/or networks via one or more networks, e.g.administrator network 114. The one or more interfaces 202 may includeone or more network interface cards, such as Ethernet cards, and/or anyother types of interface devices that can send and receive information.In some examples, component generation unit 110 and componentadministration unit 112 utilize the one or more interfaces 202 tocommunicate with database 102 and/or any other suitable device. Anysuitable number of interfaces may be used to perform the describedfunctions according to particular needs.

Administrator computer 108 may include one or more processors 204configured to implement functionality and/or process instructions forexecution within component generation unit 110 and componentadministration unit 112. Processors 204 may include, for example,microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),and/or equivalent discrete or integrated logic circuitry.

Administrator computer 108 may include memory 206 configured to storeinformation within administrator computer 108. Memory 206 may include acomputer-readable storage medium or computer-readable storage device. Insome examples, memory 206 may include one or more of a short-term memoryor a long-term memory. Memory 206 may include, for example, randomaccess memories (RAM), dynamic random access memories (DRAM), staticrandom access memories (SRAM), magnetic hard discs, optical discs,floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of electrically programmablememories (EPROM), or electrically erasable and programmable memories(EEPROM). In some examples, memory 206 may store logic (e.g., logic ofcomponent generation unit 110 and component administration unit 112) forexecution by one or more processors 204. In further examples, memory 206may be used by component generation unit 110 and componentadministration unit 112 to temporarily store information during programexecution.

Administrator computer 108 may include one or more displays 208 fordisplaying a graphical user interface (GUI) that may allow a user, e.g.,a system administrator, to interact with administrator computer 108 bydisplay of graphical icons and visual indicators. In certain examples,any of the displays 208 may be a touch sensitive screen and may presentone or more touch sensitive GUI elements. For example, a user may beable to interact with display 208 to respond to options displayed ondisplay 208 and initiate an action by touching one or more of the touchsensitive GUI elements displayed on display 208. For example, display208 may be a presence-sensitive display that displays a GUI and receivesinput from a user using capacitive, inductive, and/or optical detectionat or near the presence sensitive display. Alternatively or in addition,a user may be able to interact with an input device to respond tooptions displayed on display 208 and initiate an action by using anysuitable input device such as, for example, a keyboard, touchpad, and/orany other suitable input device. Display 208 may comprise a cathode raytube (CRT) monitor, a liquid crystal display (LCD), organic lightemitting diode (OLED), or any other type of display device that cangenerate intelligible output to a user.

In operation, component generation unit 110 and component administrationunit 112 may be used to control access to shipping information for apackage. In the example of FIG. 2, component generation unit 110includes package ID unit 210, transit state determination unit 212, andcomponent determination unit 214, while component administration unit112 includes security unit 216, transit state identification unit 218,and component identification unit 220. In other examples, however,component generation unit 110 and/or component administration unit 112may include greater or fewer units than described in FIG. 2.

In general, component generation unit 110 may be configured to processaddress data and/or package data provided by users 128 and store theprocessed data in database 102 of FIG. 1, such that the package data maybe linked to address data. Package data may include any data associatedwith the package and stored in package ID profiles 104 such as thepackage ID of the package, various transit states of the package,contents of the package, and handling instructions of the package.Address data, such as address data 106, may include components ofaddress data 106 that are associated with the package ID and the varioustransit states. In this way, component generation system 110 may set-updatabase 102 so that address data 106 may be recalled from package dataat a future time.

Package ID unit 210 may be configured to receive a request for a packageID for a package, such as from sender 128A. Package ID unit 210 may beconfigured to assign, in response to receiving the request for thepackage ID, a package ID to the package. Package ID unit 210 may storethis package ID in a package ID profile 104 in database 102, such thatthe package ID may be used to associate address data 106 with thepackage.

As an extended example, recipient 128B may be a customer that places anorder with sender 128A, a merchant. In response to receiving the orderfrom recipient 128B, sender 128A may send a request for a package ID toadministrator 116 so that sender 128A can ship a package to recipient128B using courier 124. Package ID unit 210 may assign a package ID tothe package and set up a package ID profile 104 in database 102 thatassociates the package ID with sender 128A and recipient 128B.

Package ID unit 210 may be configured to determine a delivery addressfor sender 128A and recipient 128B. In some examples, the request forthe package ID may include a delivery address of either or both ofsender 128A and recipient 128B, such that package ID unit 210 maydetermine the delivery address from the request for the package ID.Continuing with the extended example above, package ID unit 210 mayreceive a delivery address for recipient 128B from sender 128A, whichsender 128A obtained from recipient 128B. In some examples, a deliveryaddress of either of sender 128A or recipient 128B may be stored withadministrator 116, such that package ID unit 210 may retrieve, inresponse to receiving the request for the package ID, the deliveryaddress for sender 128A or recipient 128B. Continuing with the extendedexample above, sender 128A may have previously provided administrator116 with a delivery address of sender 128A, such that package ID unit210 may look up the delivery address for sender 128A to determine thedelivery address (e.g., a return address or pick-up address of thepackage from sender 128A).

Package ID unit 210 may be configured to send the package ID to sender128A. For example, package ID unit 210 may send the package ID to sender128A so that sender 128A may affix a shipping label containing thepackage ID to the package. In some examples, package ID unit 210 may beconfigured to generate a shipping label that includes the package ID.For example, package ID unit 210 may generate a code that encrypts thepackage ID and can be scanned by scanner 122 of FIG. 1 and decoded byremote courier computer 120. The shipping label may have a combinationof encrypted (i.e., the package ID) and unencrypted information. As anexample, the shipping label may include an encrypted package ID of thepackage, an unencrypted zip code of sender 128A, and an unencrypted zipcode of recipient 128B. During sorting, a sorting machine configured tosort packages based on a zip code may sort the package based on the zipcode of recipient 128B without having to look up the package ID, whichmay take up bandwidth for high throughput sorting machines. In thisexample, once the package is within the delivery zip code, the packageID must be used to obtain further destination information. In someinstances, a new label or portion of a label may be temporary, such thatthe label may be removed and replaced downstream with another label thatobscures information that is not needed downstream, such as for a laternode of the transit route. Alternately, the old label can be obscured bya new label, where the new label would show evidence of any tampering.

Transit state determination unit 212 may be configured to determine aplurality of transit states for a transit route of the package. In someexamples, the plurality of transit states may be standardized, such asaccording to an industry or company standard, such that transit statedetermination unit 212 may retrieve the one or more transit states basedon the standard. For example, the request for the package ID may includean identity of courier 124. Courier 124 may have established transitstates associated with a particular type of package shipment, such as aground shipment. In response to receiving the identity of courier 124,transit state determination unit 212 may determine the one or moretransit states based on the established transit states of courier 124.Continuing with the extended example above, courier 124 may haveestablished transit states for pick-up, origin sorting, centralizedsorting, destination sorting, delivery truck loading, delivery trucktransit, and delivery. Transit state determination unit 212 may retrievethe established transit states based on the identity of courier 124 andstore the established transit states, such as to the package ID profile104 associated with the package.

In some examples, transit state determination unit 212 may be configuredto receive or generate a projected or anticipated transit route. Forexample, based on an address of sender 128A and an address of recipient128B, transit state determination unit 212 may generate a plurality ofanticipated nodes that will be passed through and determine transitstates for the plurality of anticipated nodes. In some examples, transitstate determination unit 212 may receive at least a portion of thetransit route, such as from courier 124. For example, transit statedetermination unit may send limited delivery address information, suchas zip codes, to courier 124 and, in response, receive an anticipatedtransit route between origin and destination sorting facilities.Additional transit states can be created to cover compliance withhandling instructions such as “temperature measured and in compliance”or “handoff from [x] to [y]; chain of custody intact.”

Component determination unit 214 may receive the delivery address of asender 128A and/or recipient 128B and determine a plurality ofcomponents of the delivery address. A variety of techniques may be usedto determine the plurality of components of the delivery addressincluding, but not limited to, text recognition, address recognition,and the like. In some examples, component determination unit 214 may beconfigured to identify the plurality of components of the deliveryaddress based on a format of the delivery address. Continuing with theextended example above, sender 128A may have provided administrator 116with the delivery address of sender 128A and recipient 128B in a formthat included separate entries for each component of the deliveryaddress, such that the plurality of components may be extracted from theform.

Component determination unit 214 may be configured to generate aplurality of sets of components of the delivery address from theplurality of components of the delivery address. Each set of componentsof the plurality of sets of components is associated with a transitstate of a plurality of transit states for the transit route. For eachtransit state, component determination unit 214 may generate a set ofcomponents that may advance the package to a next node of the transitroute. An example Table 1 with associated components and a deliveryfunction of the set of components is shown below.

TABLE 1 Transit State Set of Components Goal Order Receipt Sender streetnumber Pick-up package Sender street Sender zip code Handlinginstructions code Pick-Up/Origin Recipient zip code Determine whetherlocal Sorting Handling instructions (destination) or remote code(origin) Transit/Intermediate Recipient zip code Deliver to nextfacility Sorting Destination Sorting Recipient street Load deliverytruck Recipient zip code Handling instructions code Delivery TransitRecipient street number Deliver to address Recipient street Handlinginstructions code Delivery Recipient name Deliver to recipient Recipientunit number Handling instructions code Exception/Return Contents CodeReturn to sender Sender street number Sender street Sender zip codeHandling instructions code

Component determination unit 214 may be configured to store theplurality of sets of components as address data 106 in package IDprofiles 104 and map each of the plurality of sets of components withthe corresponding transit state of the package ID.

In general, once component generation unit 110 has set up database 102with address data 106 for the package ID of the package, componentadministration unit 112 may control access to address data 106 of thepackage by courier 124. Component administration unit 112 may beconfigured to receive package data, such as the package ID and/or thetransit state of the package and provide courier 124 with destinationinformation based on the package data. At this point, courier 124 may beresponsible for handling the package based on address data. Continuingwith the extended example above, sender 128A may send a request forcourier 124 to take custody of the package. Throughout custody, courier124 may scan the package ID of the package and request destinationinformation from administrator 116 to advance the package through thetransit route for eventual delivery to recipient 128B.

In some examples, security unit 216 may be configured to receive arequest for destination information and verify that the request fordestination information was received from an appropriate entity ofcourier 124. For example, the request for destination information mayinclude a scanner ID of scanner 122 of FIG. 1. The scanner ID may beassociated with courier 124 and act as a verification code for courier124 and/or a particular entity of courier 124. Security unit 216 mayverify the request for destination information based on the scanner ID.Continuing with the extended example above, a delivery driver of courier124 may scan the package ID with scanner 122, transmit the package ID toremote courier computer 120, and send a request for destinationinformation to security unit 216. The request for destinationinformation may include the scanner ID of scanner 122 that verifiesscanner 122.

Transit state identification unit 218 may be configured to determine atransit state of the package. The transit state is associated with anode in the transit route of the package. The transit state comprises atleast one of pick-up, origin sorting, transit, destination sorting,delivery, or exception, as shown in the example of Table 1 above.

In some examples, the request for destination information includes thetransit state of the package, such that transit state identificationunit 218 may determine the transit state of the package from the contentof the request for destination information. For example, courier 124 mayhave established transit states, such that courier 124 may provide acorresponding transit state of one of the established transit states aspart of the request for destination information. Continuing with theextended example above, the request for destination information sent byremote courier computer 120 may include transit state information thatidentifies the request as coming from the delivery driver having anassociated transit state of “delivery.”

In some examples, the request for destination information may notexplicitly include the transit state of the package, such that transitstate identification unit 218 may determine the transit state of thepackage from context of the request for destination information and thepackage ID. In some examples, transit state identification unit 218 maydetermine the transit state of the package based on the package ID andlocation information of the package. The request for destinationinformation may include location information for scanner 122, such as anIP address of remote courier computer 120 or other marker associatedwith a location of scanner 122. Based on a projected or anticipatedtransit route, transit state identification unit 218 may determine thatthe particular location of remote courier computer 120, and thus thepackage, is associated with a particular transit state of the package.Continuing with the extended example above, the request for destinationinformation sent by remote courier computer 120 may include GPS locationinformation that identifies the request as coming from a locationassociated with a destination scan. Based on the GPS locationinformation, transit state identification unit 218 may determine thatthe package has an associated transit state of “destination sorting.”

In some examples, the request for destination information may include ascanner ID of scanner 122. In some examples, component administrationunit 112 may determine the transit state of the package based on thescanner ID. For example, scanner 122 may be associated with a particulartransit state, such that transit state identification unit 218 may lookup the scanner ID for scanner 122 and determine the transit state forthe package based on the transit state associated with the scanner ID.In some examples, component administration unit 112 may be configured todetermine the location of the package based on the scanner ID anddetermine the transit state of the package based on the location of thepackage. For example, scanner 122 may be associated with a particularlocation, such that transit state identification unit 218 may look upthe location of the scanner ID for scanner 122 and determine the transitstate for the package. Continuing with the extended example above, therequest for destination information sent by remote courier computer 120may include the scanner ID of scanner 122 that is assigned to a deliveryroute associated with the delivery address. Based on the scanner ID,transit state identification unit 218 may determine that the package hasan associated transit state of “delivery.”

In some examples, the package itself may transmit the transit state ofthe package. For example, the package or packaging may have abattery-powered transmitter, such that the package may be configured totransmit a transit state to administrator computer 108. The transmittermay transmit continuously or start transmitting if the package is out ofcompliance, such as during an “exception” transit state. If a package orcarrier of the package is large enough (e.g. an ocean going shippingcontainer), the package may be visually tracked from the air.

Component identification unit 220 may be configured to identify the setof components based on the transit state and the package ID. Forexample, component identification unit 220 may access the address data106 of the package ID profile 104 associated with the package ID of thepackage and retrieve the set of components associated with the transitstate. Continuing with the extended example above, componentidentification unit 220 may use the package ID and the transit state tolook up, in address data 106, the set of components associated with thepackage ID of the package and the “delivery” transit state of thepackage. This set of components may include a house number and street ofrecipient 128B. Component identification unit 220 may be configured tosend the set of components to remote courier computer 120.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of anadministrator computer and a remote user computer of FIG. 1, inaccordance with the techniques of this disclosure. Remote user computer126 may send a request for a package ID for the package to administratorcomputer 108 (310). Administrator computer 108 may receive the requestfor the package ID for the package from remote user computer 126 (320).Administrator computer 108 may receive a delivery address of recipient128B and/or sender 128A (330). In some examples, the request for thepackage ID may include the delivery address of recipient 128B and/orsender 128A, while in other examples, administrator 116 may retrieve thedelivery address of recipient 128B and/or sender 128A, such as from adatabase.

Administrator computer 108 may generate a plurality of transit statesfor the package (340). In some examples, administrator computer 108 maydetermine the plurality of transit states based on established transitstates for courier 124, while in other examples, administrator computer108 may determine the plurality of transit states based on ananticipated transit route of the package. The transit route includes aplurality of nodes in a linear arrangement. Each node is associated witha transit state of the plurality of transit states.

Administrator computer 108 may generate a plurality of sets ofcomponents of the delivery address from components of the deliveryaddress (350). Administrator computer 108 may associate each set ofcomponents of the plurality of sets of components with a transit stateof the plurality of transit states for the transit route. The set ofcomponents represents information for advancing the package to the nextnode in the linear arrangement of the transit route.

Administrator computer 108 may generate shipping label information thatincludes the package ID for the package (360) and sending, byadministrator computer 108, the shipping label information to remoteuser computer 126 (370). Remote user computer 126 may receive theshipping label information from administrator computer 108 (380). Remoteuser computer 126 may print, using printer 130, the shipping labelinformation and attach the shipping label information to the package(390). Once the shipping label information is attached to the package,the package may be ready for pick up by courier 124.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of anadministrator computer and a remote courier computer of FIG. 1, inaccordance with the techniques of this disclosure. Scanner 122 may scanshipping label information of the package and remote courier computer120 may determine a package identifier (ID) of the package based on thescanned shipping label information (410). Remote courier computer 120may send administrator 116 a request for destination information for thepackage (420).

Administrator computer 108 may receive the request for destinationinformation for the package (430). The request includes the package IDof the package. Administrator computer 108 may verify the request fordestination information (440). In some examples, administrator computer108 may use a scanner ID of scanner 122 to verify the request fordestination information.

Administrator computer 108 may identify the transit state of the package(450). In some examples, the request for destination information for thepackage may indicate the transit state of the package, such thatadministrator computer 108 may identify the transit state of the packagebased on the indicated transit state of the package. In some examples,administrator computer 108 may identify the transit state of the packagebased on location information of scanner 122. In some examples,administrator computer 108 may identify the transit state of the packagebased on a scanner ID of scanner 122 and location information associatedwith the scanner ID.

Administrator computer 108 may determine a set of components of adelivery address of the package based on the package ID and the transitstate of the package (460). The transit state is associated with a nodein a transit route of the package. Administrator computer 108 may sendthe set of components of the delivery address to remote courier computer120 (470).

Remote courier computer 120 may receive the set of components of thedelivery address (480). Courier 124 may handle the package based on theset of components of the delivery address (490). In this way,administrator 116 may provide courier 124 with sufficient destinationinformation to advance the package to a next node in the transit routeand, eventually, deliver the package to recipient 128B.

While FIG. 4 has been described with respect to remote courier computer120, in some examples, remote sender computer 126A and/or remoterecipient computer 126B may be configured to perform a portion of thetechniques of FIG. 4. For example, a recipient may have a packagedelivered to common delivery area and wish to identify the correspondingpackage. At a “delivery” transit state, remote recipient computer 126Bmay be a smartphone with a camera, such that remote recipient computer126B may scan the shipping information label from the package. Remoterecipient computer 126B may send a request for destination informationas the recipient and, upon verification, receive a name for the package.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example transit route of apackage, in accordance with techniques of this disclosure. The transitroute may include a plurality of nodes, each node representing a pointin the transit route at which destination information may be requested.Each node may be associated with a transit state of the transit route,and each transit state may be associated with a set of components of thedelivery address of sender 128A and/or recipient 128B.

At a first node in the transit route, “Pick-Up Vehicle,” courier 124 mayreceive a shipping request from sender 128A and initiate the shipment bytravelling to pick up the package. The first node may be associated witha first transit state, “Order Receipt.” In order to pick up the packageand deliver the package to the sorting facility, courier 124 must knowthe location of the package. As such, the set of components associatedwith the first transit state may include the street address and zip codeof sender 128A.

At a second node in the transit route, “Pick-Up Address/OriginFacility,” courier 124 may pick up the package and deliver the packageto an origin sorting facility. The second node may be associated with asecond transit state, “Pick-Up/Origin Sorting.” In order to determinewhether the package is intended for a remote destination or localdestination, courier 124 must know a general destination of the package.As such, the set of components associated with the second transit statemay include the zip code of recipient 128B. If the zip code is local,the transit state may change to “Destination Sorting,” explained furtherbelow, because the package will not be routed to another facility priorto delivery. If the zip code is remote, courier 124 may advance thepackage to one or more intermediate facilities in order to reach theremote zip code for delivery.

At a third node in the transit route, “Intermediate Facility” (i.e., “InTransit”), courier 124 may further sort the package through one or morefacilities, such as a centralized hub. The third node may be associatedwith a third transit state, “Intermediate Sorting.” To continueadvancing the package to a destination facility, courier 124 maycontinue to use the zip code of recipient 128B.

At a fourth node in the transit route, “Destination Facility,” courier124 may do a final sort to load the package on to the correct deliveryvehicle. The fourth node may be associated with a fourth transit state,“Destination Sorting.” To load the package onto the correct deliveryvehicle, courier 124 may use a street address and a zip code. Forexample, the destination facility may be associated with a plurality ofzip codes, while the delivery vehicle may be associated with aparticular region of a single zip code, such that both a zip code and astreet address further specifying the region of the zip code may beused.

At a fifth node in the transit route, “Delivery Vehicle,” courier 124may begin transport of the package to a recipient's destination. Thefifth node may be associated with a fifth transit state, “DeliveryTransit.” To deliver the package to the correct address, courier 124must know a street address of recipient 128B. As such, the set ofcomponents may include the street number and street name of recipient128B.

At a sixth node in the transit route, “Recipient Residence,” courier 124may advance the package to a particular unit at the recipient address.The sixth node may be associated with a sixth transit state, “Delivery.”For residences that do not include multiple units, the fifth and sixthtransit states may be a combined transit state having a combined set ofcomponents (e.g., name, street number, street name). To deliver thepackage to the residence, courier 124 may use a name, unit number,street number, and street name of recipient 128B.

At a seventh node in the transit route, “Recipient,” courier 124 maydeliver the package to recipient 128B. The seventh node may beassociated with a seventh transit state, “Delivered.” In some examples,courier 124 may print out a label that includes a name and unit numberof recipient 128B, such that the package may be identified as belongingto recipient 128B. In this way, courier 124 may use the set ofcomponents received from administrator 116 to deliver the package torecipient 128B.

While not shown, the transit state may change to an eighth transitstate, “Return,” if recipient 128B initiates a return. For example, fora return, sender 128A may send a request for destination informationwith an indication of a “return” transit state. In such an instance,recipient 128B may become a sender and sender 128A may become arecipient, such that the transit states may be generally reversed.

As another example, the transit state may change to a ninth transit,“Exception,” if a mistake occurs. An exception may represent departureor arrival of the package at a node outside a transit route of thepackage or at a time outside a projected or allowed transit time for thepackage. For example, administrator computer 108 may determine anexception based on a request for destination information from a locationsignificantly outside a projected transit route of the package. For anexception, administrator computer 108 may provide more addressinformation to remote courier computer 120 and/or request additioninformation from remote courier computer 120. For example, administratorcomputer 108 may send remote courier computer 120 previous nodeinformation to place the package back on the transit route. As anotherexample, administrator computer 108 may expedite shipping or change thetransit route, such as by prioritizing the package to an air route froma ground route.

It is to be recognized that depending on the example, certain acts orevents of any of the techniques described herein can be performed in adifferent sequence, may be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g.,not all described acts or events are necessary for the practice of thetechniques). Moreover, in certain examples, acts or events may beperformed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing,interrupt processing, or multiple processors, rather than sequentially.

In one or more examples, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implementedin software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over acomputer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code, andexecuted by a hardware-based processing unit. Computer-readable mediamay include computer-readable storage media, which corresponds to atangible medium such as data storage media, or communication mediaincluding any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer programfrom one place to another, e.g., according to a communication protocol.In this manner, computer-readable media generally may correspond to (1)tangible computer-readable storage media which is non-transitory or (2)a communication medium such as a signal or carrier wave. Data storagemedia may be any available media that can be accessed by one or morecomputers or one or more processors to retrieve instructions, codeand/or data structures for implementation of the techniques described inthis disclosure. A computer program product may include acomputer-readable medium.

By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storagemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, flashmemory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired programcode in the form of instructions or data structures and that can beaccessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed acomputer-readable medium. For example, if instructions are transmittedfrom a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable,fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then thecoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wirelesstechnologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in thedefinition of medium. It should be understood, however, thatcomputer-readable storage media and data storage media do not includeconnections, carrier waves, signals, or other transitory media, but areinstead directed to non-transitory, tangible storage media. Disk anddisc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, opticaldisc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, wheredisks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataoptically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be includedwithin the scope of computer-readable media.

Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one ormore digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors,application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logiccircuitry, as well as any combination of such components. Accordingly,the term “processor,” as used herein may refer to any of the foregoingstructures or any other structure suitable for implementation of thetechniques described herein. In addition, in some aspects, thefunctionality described herein may be provided within dedicated hardwareand/or software modules. Also, the techniques could be fully implementedin one or more circuits or logic elements.

The techniques of this disclosure may be implemented in a wide varietyof devices or apparatuses, including a wireless communication device orwireless handset, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit (IC) or a setof ICs (e.g., a chip set). Various components, modules, or units aredescribed in this disclosure to emphasize functional aspects of devicesconfigured to perform the disclosed techniques, but do not necessarilyrequire realization by different hardware units. Rather, as describedabove, various units may be combined in a hardware unit or provided by acollection of interoperative hardware units, including one or moreprocessors as described above, in conjunction with suitable softwareand/or firmware.

Various examples have been described. These and other examples arewithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by a computingdevice, a first request for destination information for a package,wherein the first request includes a package identifier (ID) of thepackage and a scanner ID of a first scanner; determining, by thecomputing device, a first transit state of the package based on thescanner ID; determining, by the computing device, a first set ofcomponents of a destination delivery address of the package based on thepackage ID and the first transit state of the package, wherein the firsttransit state is associated with a first node in a transit route of thepackage to the destination delivery address; in response to averification of the first scanner based on the first scanner ID,sending, by the computing device and to the first scanner, the first setof components of the destination delivery address; receiving, by thecomputing device, a second request for destination information for thepackage, wherein the second request includes the package ID;determining, by the computing device, a second set of components of thedestination delivery address of the package based on the package ID anda second transit state of the package, wherein the second transit stateis associated with a second node in the transit route of the package tothe destination delivery address, and wherein the second set ofcomponents is different from the first set of components; and sending,by the computing device and to a device associated with the second node,the second set of components of the destination delivery address.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second sets ofcomponents of the destination delivery address includes one or more of azip code, a state, a city, a street address, a house number, anapartment number, a county, province, a country, a descriptive address,a PO Box, an APO, FPO or MPO address, a first name, a last name, a phonenumber, or an email address, twitter handle, or other electroniccommunications identifier.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of thefirst and second transit states comprises at least one of originsorting, transit, destination sorting, delivery, or exception.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the computingdevice, the destination delivery address for the package; andgenerating, by the computing device, a plurality of sets of componentsof the destination delivery address from components of the destinationdelivery address, wherein each set of components of the plurality ofsets of components is associated with a transit state of a plurality oftransit states for the transit route.
 5. The method of claim 4, whereinthe transit route includes a plurality of nodes in a linear arrangement,and wherein each node is associated with a transit state of theplurality of transit states.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein each ofthe first and second sets of components represents information foradvancing the package to a next node in the linear arrangement.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second requests fordestination information includes the respective first or second transitstate of the package.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstrequest for destination information includes first location informationof the first scanner and the second request for destination informationincludes second location information of a second scanner, different fromthe first location information, and wherein the method furthercomprises: determining, by the computing device, the first transit stateof the package based on the package ID, the scanner ID, and the firstlocation information; and determining, by the computing device, thesecond transit state of the package based on the package ID and thesecond location information.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining the first transit state of the package based on the scannerID further comprises: determining, by the computing device, a locationof the package based on the scanner ID; and determining, by thecomputing device, the first transit state of the package based on thelocation of the package.
 10. A computing device comprising: a memory;and one or more processors in communication with the memory andconfigured to: receive a first request for destination information for apackage, wherein the first request includes a package identifier (ID) ofthe package and a scanner ID of a first scanner; determine a firsttransit state of the package based on the scanner ID, determine a firstset of components of a destination delivery address of the package basedon the package ID and the first transit state of the package, whereinthe first transit state is associated with a first node in a transitroute of the package to the destination delivery address; in response toa verification of the first scanner based on the first scanner ID, send,to the first scanner, the first set of components of the destinationdelivery address; receive a second request for destination informationfor the package, wherein the second request includes the package ID;determine a second set of components of the destination delivery addressof the package based on the package ID and a second transit state of thepackage, wherein the second transit state is associated with a secondnode in the transit route of the package, and wherein the second set ofcomponents is different from the first set of components; and send, to adevice associated with the second node, the second set of components ofthe destination delivery address.
 11. The computing device of claim 10,wherein each of the first and second sets of components of thedestination delivery address includes one or more of a zip code, astate, a city, a street address, a house number, an apartment number, acounty, province, a country, a descriptive address, a PO Box, an APO,FPO or MPO address, a first name, a last name, a phone number, or anemail address, twitter handle, or other electronic communicationsidentifier.
 12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein each of thefirst and second transit states comprises at least one of originsorting, transit, destination sorting, delivery, or exception.
 13. Thecomputing device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors arefurther configured to: receive the destination delivery address for thepackage; and generate a plurality of sets of components of thedestination delivery address from components of the destination deliveryaddress, wherein each set of components of the plurality of sets ofcomponents is associated with a transit state of a plurality of transitstates for the transit route.
 14. The computing device of claim 13,wherein the transit route includes a plurality of nodes in a lineararrangement, and wherein each node is associated with a transit state ofthe plurality of transit states.
 15. The computing device of claim 14,wherein each of the first and second sets of components representsinformation for advancing the package to the next node in the lineararrangement.
 16. The computing device of claim 10, wherein each of thefirst and second requests for destination information includes therespective first or second transit state of the package.
 17. Thecomputing device of claim 10, wherein the first request for destinationinformation includes first location information of the first scanner andthe second request for destination information includes second locationinformation of a second scanner, different from the first locationinformation, and wherein the one or more processors are furtherconfigured to: determine the first transit state of the package based onthe package ID, the scanner ID, and the first location information; anddetermine the second transit state of the package based on the packageID and the second location information.
 18. The computing device ofclaim 10, wherein, to determine the first transit state of the package,the one or more processors are further configured to: determine alocation of the package based on the scanner ID; and determine the firsttransit state of the package based on the location of the package.
 19. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereoninstructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of acomputing device to: receive a first request for destination informationfor a package, wherein the first request includes a package identifier(ID) of the package and a scanner ID of a first scanner; determine afirst transit state of the package based on the scanner ID; determine afirst set of components of a destination delivery address of the packagebased on the package ID and a first transit state of the package,wherein the first transit state is associated with a first node in atransit route of the package to the destination delivery address; inresponse to a verification of the first scanner based on the firstscanner ID, send, to the first scanner, the first set of components ofthe destination delivery address; receive a second request fordestination information for the package, wherein the second requestincludes the package ID; determine a second set of components of thedestination delivery address of the package based on the package ID anda second transit state of the package, wherein the second transit stateis associated with a second node in the transit route of the package,and wherein the second set of components is different from the first setof components; and send, to a device associated with the second node,the second set of components of the destination delivery address.